On politics in the Golden State

Jerry Brown celebrates California's successes in speech

Gov. Jerry Brown delivered a triumphant State of the State
speech on Thursday morning, saying California has once again confounded its
critics to become a model for the rest of the nation.

“This special destiny never ends. It slows. It falters,”
Brown said. “It goes off track in ignorance and prejudice but soon resumes
again — more vibrant and more stunning in its boldness.”

Brown’s speech — which weaved together references to the
Bible, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Franklin Roosevelt and William Butler Yeats —
said the state’s continuing challenges pale in comparison to the obstacles faced
by the state’s pioneers.

The governor thanked voters for seven years of temporary taxes, which were approved in November and are a critical piece of his plan to repair California's finances.

Still, Brown urged caution as the state prepares for its first budget surpluses in years. California's progress, he said, relies on financial discipline.

"It is cruel to lead people on by expanding good programs, only to cut them back when the funding disappears," Brown said. "That stop and go, boom and bust, serves no one. We are not going back there."